61% of Drivers could be risking a £10,000 fine with illegal tyre tread depth

A recent study by RAC and TyreSafe found that only 39% of drivers know the legal minimum tread depth for their tyres. This means  61% of drivers may be unknowingly driving with unsafe, illegal tyres.

Every driver should adopt the simple but crucial habit of checking their tyres regularly. It is recommended that each tyre be checked at least once a month to identify any potential problems before they become serious safety risks.

However, many UK drivers are still placing themselves at risk of avoidable accidents,hefty fines and points on their license by not checking their tyre tread depths more often. In the study, 50% of drivers admitted checking their treads never crossed their minds, and 40% rely on their garage’s mechanic to check and advise them on any tyre issues during their annual service or MOT.  Alamingly, 5% of drivers also admitted that they would wait until their car failed their annual MOT before considering replacing their tyres.

Ignoring your tyre tread depth like this impacts the performance of your vehicle, resulting in increased stopping distances and a greater risk of aquaplaning, with this increasing the shallower your tread becomes, especially at higher motorway speeds. 

You could also be risking a hefty fine and points on your licence.

But beyond safety concerns, if you are found with all four tyres below the legal limit of 1.6mm, you could face a fine of up to £2,500 per tyre, with a maximum penalty of £10,000, as well as up to 12 penalty points on your licence! Although 70% of those surveyed claimed they were aware of these fines and knew the legal tread depth,, many did not realise the risks could extend to points on their licence, with the chance of losing their licence altogether.

How can I check my tyre’s tread depth? 

Checking your tyre tread depth is a pretty straightforward task. While we recommend purchasing a dedicated tread depth gauge which will provide you with a more accurate reading, you can also simply do it with a 20p coin. 

To do this, insert a 20p coin into the main groove of your tyre’s tread, and if the tyre obscures the outer band of the coin, the tread will be within the legal limit. However, if the outer band of the coin is visible, the tyres might be below the legal tread depth, and you should seek out a specialist tyre fitter as soon as possible.

In conclusion

Taking a few minutes out of each month to check your tyre treads will help to keep you and other road users safe while potentially saving you money on avoiding future problems and the risks of a fine and penalty points. 

Are you looking for new tyres? Check out our product page or contact us for your local Landsail tyre dealer. Our blog page also offers more tips and tricks from Fuzz Townshend and us.